Dealer Outlook

Trade Only Dealer Outlook Blog

Tuesday’s Dealer Outlook called for increased penalties for commercial fisherman who break the law as something that should be considered in the upcoming reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. But there’s much more that should be accomplished, particularly as related to recreational fishing.

Red snapper? Red grouper? It’s a red alert for saltwater anglers and the dealers who serve them as we approach this year’s reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary law governing fisheries in federal waters. Moreover, there needs to be increased penalties for commercial fishermen who break the law and foreign vessels illegally taking fish […]

When the American Boat and Yacht Council organized the inaugural Aquatic Invasive Species Summit, it opened a much-needed dialogue on the serious negative impact that invasive species will have on recreational boating and, therefore, the importance of the industry’s engagement.

Aquatic invasive species are often called a nuisance. So much for understatement. The truth is they are becoming a serious barrier to boating enjoyment and our industry’s prospects for growth and we must become engaged.

Some say it’s just about red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. But the truth is it goes much deeper and will set a dangerous precedent for all saltwater anglers and the dealers who sell them their boats.

I must be traveling through another dimension. I’ve been beamed into a war zone where the Great Lakes are being threatened by approaching armies of Asian carp and there’s no agreement on how — or even if — the battle to prevent an ecosystem defeat.

In what is the most intense campaign to date to attract more diversity into the ranks of the nation’s boaters and anglers, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation recently unveiled the Spanish language Internet portal “Vamos a Pescar” that targets the growing Latino market.

Not since the 1960s has pollution of our waterways made such headlines. From Chesapeake Bay to the Pacific Northwest, from Canada’s Lake Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico, summer toxic blue-green algae blooms have been shutting down recreation areas and constitute another barrier to new boaters joining our ranks.

Most dealers have heard of it, but can’t define it. Most manufacturers don’t know the details, either. Still, it’s a whopping $600 million program using public funds to annually boost boating and fishing and it’s up for reauthorization.

For dealers in 38 coastal states who depend on successfully selling boats to saltwater anglers, the good news is that a serious push is on to improve the often misguided policies that currently manage our fisheries.